fixed spool vs bait caster

[lured1n]

Hello all. Excellent forum! I spent many of my formative years fishing for largemouth bass in the US using artificials. When I returned to Britain I lost that passion for fishing that I grew up with. It was only after a neighbor started telling me about catching sea bass in the straights and his preference to use light gear and artificial lures that I started to take an interest again. I have got a basic 11ft spinning rod with fixed spool reel but favour a 71/2 ft storm quickfire rod with a small bait caster. When my neighbor saw me come home with this he tried to get me to take it back saying it wasn't suitable. Luckily I hung onto it and although still not got my first bass have had that passion reborn because of the excellent fun that I get from having big mackerel throw themselves at my dexter wedge and light gear. Plentiful and the tastiest fish in the sea what more could you want? Dragging them in 3 at a time with heavy gear and feathers is great if you want quick food for the table or bait but one at a time on light gear is great sport and means your less likely to take more than you need!. Anyway after reading this forum I want to be a bit more adventurous in the lures I use to target that elusive first bass. At the moment I use a Shakespeare solara bait caster loaded with 8lb mono. There is no doubt that I can get more distance with the 11ft rod and fixed spool reel but does this have to be the case?I find it so much more work and even cumbersome compared to the one handed cast and right handed winder that the quickfire affords! Any tips on a bait caster style reel that would compete with fixed spool in terms of distance/weight of lure?? Would braided line really make a difference? Most of the lures talked about on here I am familiar with from freshwater fishing in the US and I can't wait to try them out here. Especially the poppers. Fishing the surface is so thrilling and I haven't done it since I was a kid. Will the Mack's take these as well? Have any of you come across another floating lure called the 'torpedo'(I think) Has a little propeller at the back that shreds up the water and makes plenty of noise like a thrashing bait fish. Caught many 'largemouth' bass with these in US and I am sure they would do the trick for our sea bass. Oh and interesting to note that red jelly worms were some of the most productive lures on many bass lakes in US. We used to turn the hook around so that the point could be stuck slightly into the body of the worm thus acting as a weed guard. sorry for such a long first post

[JohnK]

Blimey, that's quite a read...

Can't offer any advice about baitcasters as I've never used one myself, but thought I should welcome you to the forum. It's good to have someone with experience over the pond, I'm sure there's a lot we can learn from the largemouth scene in the US. Also good to hear you mention the thrills of the lighter tackle, it's for this reason that people are turning to fly fishing for bass and pollock/mackrel etc. over here.

Anyway, welcome aboard

[lured1n]

Thanks for the welcome johnk. My post is a bit rambling sorry hope it doesn't put other members off won't do it again I promise. Unfortunately all my 'experience' was over 15yrs ago and i definately consider myself a novice at all types of fishing. Didn't do any fishing in UK untill my recent move to N Wales. Hope to learn alot from more experienced members on here.

[The Image ™]

I know what you mean by 'baitcaster'. When multipliers first started getting used in the UK for shore casting (showing my age now) sea anglers were bemused to open the box and find instructions on how to set the spool for casting lures. I recall this involved tightening the end caps until the lure didn't drop but did so if you jerked the rod lighltly. The manufacturers had no idea that the UK sales boom in 'baitcasters' was from shore anglers who were having to butcher their shiny new reels by removing and throwing away the level wind system and sawing off the top bar to allow a good thumb grip. Only in the UK did we call them 'multipliers' and on the box it always said 'baitcasters'. It actually took the manufacturers about 20 years to suss out that it was long dist shore casters who were buying the reels and having to butcher them and it wasn't until the 80's that they finally began selling us multipliers (it even had 'multiplier' on the box, wow) with no level wind or top bar.
I sometimes wonder why the original concept of baitcasting (casting a lure with a multiplier as they were originally intended) has never caught on in the UK. I assume they've always been doing it in the U.S. In fact, the 'multiplier' for shore casting is a very 'British' thing and never caught on elsewhere as it has here but likewise baitcasting has never caught on here!

[The Image ™]

I also recall that they had very small handles and a slow retrieve for bringing in a lure nice and slowly and UK beach anglers would wind in franticly just to keep the lead off the bottom. It all seems quite funny looking back on it now.

I remember buying a shiny new (and expensive) reel, and with a paul Kerry book in one hand and a hammer, screwdriver and hacksaw in the other, began to butcher my new reel with a feeling of 'this can't be right'

Back then though you were one of the elite with a multiplier.

I miss those days a bit, mainly because we used to catch large cod and more big whiting than you knew what to do with. I remember 2lb whitings coming in 3 at a time on Llandudno North shore and I always had at least one codling over 4lb.

We didn't have floatation suits then but everyone had a brolly with a tilly lamp burning under it and you'd wander over to another guys brolly and share flasks of coffee with a dash of whisky in it then leg it back to your rod as a big cod dragged it towards the sea.

The reason I get so involved with campaigns against overnetting by people like Leon Roskilly is because I so so dearly want to see those times come back again. It's just so unfair that those fishstocks were stolen from us.

[tompa]

Personally I have used both and much prefer the baitcaster. It's down to personal choice in the end but find the baitcaster a much easier reel to lure fish with and can cast much further with less effort! I have just bought a shimano one and now use it for float fishing too.

[dabcatcher]

for the bigger pollock let the lure sink as deep as possible.

all my biggest pollock have come from the edge of the kelp at my feet.